726 research outputs found
Magnetic Coherence in Cuprate Superconductors
Recent inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments on
LaSrCuO observed a {\it magnetic coherence effect}, i.e.,
strong frequency and momentum dependent changes of the spin susceptibility,
, in the superconducting phase. We show that this effect is a direct
consequence of changes in the damping of incommensurate antiferromagnetic spin
fluctuations due to the appearance of a d-wave gap in the fermionic spectrum.
Our theoretical results provide a quantitative explanation for the weak
momentum dependence of the observed spin-gap. Moreover, we predict {\bf (a)} a
Fermi surface in LaSrCuO which is closed around up
to optimal doping, and {\bf (b)} similar changes in for all cuprates
with an incommensurate magnetic response.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Fig.3 is in colo
Geometry of Frictionless and Frictional Sphere Packings
We study static packings of frictionless and frictional spheres in three
dimensions, obtained via molecular dynamics simulations, in which we vary
particle hardness, friction coefficient, and coefficient of restitution.
Although frictionless packings of hard-spheres are always isostatic (with six
contacts) regardless of construction history and restitution coefficient,
frictional packings achieve a multitude of hyperstatic packings that depend on
system parameters and construction history. Instead of immediately dropping to
four, the coordination number reduces smoothly from as the friction
coefficient between two particles is increased.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Relationship between incommensurability and superconductivity in Peierls distorted charge-density-wave systems
We study the pairing potential induced by fluctuations around a
charge-density wave (CDW) with scattering vector Q by means of the Froehlich
transformation. For general commensurability M, defined as |k+M*Q>=|k>, we find
that the intraband pair scattering within the M subbands scales with M whereas
the interband pair scattering becomes suppressed with increasing CDW order
parameter. As a consequence superconductivity is suppressed when the Fermi
energy is located between the subbands as it is usually the case for nesting
induced CDW's, but due to the vertex renormalization it can be substantially
enhanced when the chemical potential is shifted sufficiently inside one of the
subbands. The model can help to understand the experimentally observed
dependence of the superconducting transition temperature from the stripe phase
incommensurability in the lanthanum cuprates.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Dynamics of viscoelastic membranes
We determine both the in-plane and out-of-plane dynamics of viscoelastic
membranes separating two viscous fluids in order to understand microrheological
studies of such membranes. We demonstrate the general viscoelastic signatures
in the dynamics of shear, bending, and compression modes. We also find a
screening of the otherwise two-dimensional character of the response to point
forces due to the presence of solvent. Finally, we show that there is a linear,
hydrodynamic coupling between the in-plane compression modes of the membrane
and the out-of-plane bending modes in the case where the membrane separates two
different fluids or environments
Confined granular packings: structure, stress, and forces
The structure and stresses of static granular packs in cylindrical containers
are studied using large-scale discrete element molecular dynamics simulations
in three dimensions. We generate packings by both pouring and sedimentation and
examine how the final state depends on the method of construction. The vertical
stress becomes depth-independent for deep piles and we compare these stress
depth-profiles to the classical Janssen theory. The majority of the tangential
forces for particle-wall contacts are found to be close to the Coulomb failure
criterion, in agreement with the theory of Janssen, while particle-particle
contacts in the bulk are far from the Coulomb criterion. In addition, we show
that a linear hydrostatic-like region at the top of the packings unexplained by
the Janssen theory arises because most of the particle-wall tangential forces
in this region are far from the Coulomb yield criterion. The distributions of
particle-particle and particle-wall contact forces exhibit
exponential-like decay at large forces in agreement with previous studies.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to PRE (v2) added new references,
fixed typo
Angle of repose and segregation in cohesive granular matter
We study the effect of fluids on the angle of repose and the segregation of
granular matter poured into a silo. The experiments are conducted in two
regimes where: (i) the volume fraction of the fluid is small and it forms
liquid bridges between particles, and (ii) the particles are completely
immersed in the fluid. The data is obtained by imaging the pile formed inside a
quasi-two dimensional silo through the transparent glass side walls. In the
first series of experiments, the angle of repose is observed to increase
sharply with the volume fraction of the fluid and then saturates at a value
that depends on the size of the particles. We systematically study the effect
of viscosity by using water-glycerol mixtures to vary it over at least three
orders of magnitude while keeping the surface tension almost constant. Besides
surface tension, the viscosity of the fluid is observed to have an effect on
the angle of repose and the extent of segregation. In case of bidisperse
particles, segregation is observed to decrease and finally saturate depending
on the size ratio of the particles and the viscosity of the fluid. The sharp
initial change and the subsequent saturation in the extent of segregation and
angle of repose occurs over similar volume fraction of the fluid. In the second
series of experiments, particles are poured into a container filled with a
fluid. Although the angle of repose is observed to be unchanged, segregation is
observed to decrease with an increase in the viscosity of the fluid.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure
Resonance peak in underdoped cuprates
The magnetic susceptibility measured in neutron scattering experiments in
underdoped YBaCuO is interpreted based on the self-consistent
solution of the t-J model of a Cu-O plane. The calculations reproduce correctly
the frequency and momentum dependencies of the susceptibility and its variation
with doping and temperature in the normal and superconducting states. This
allows us to interpret the maximum in the frequency dependence -- the resonance
peak -- as a manifestation of the excitation branch of localized Cu spins and
to relate the frequency of the maximum to the size of the spin gap. The
low-frequency shoulder well resolved in the susceptibility of superconducting
crystals is connected with a pronounced maximum in the damping of the spin
excitations. This maximum is caused by intense quasiparticle peaks in the hole
spectral function for momenta near the Fermi surface and by the nesting.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Jamming at Zero Temperature and Zero Applied Stress: the Epitome of Disorder
We have studied how 2- and 3- dimensional systems made up of particles
interacting with finite range, repulsive potentials jam (i.e., develop a yield
stress in a disordered state) at zero temperature and applied stress. For each
configuration, there is a unique jamming threshold, , at which
particles can no longer avoid each other and the bulk and shear moduli
simultaneously become non-zero. The distribution of values becomes
narrower as the system size increases, so that essentially all configurations
jam at the same in the thermodynamic limit. This packing fraction
corresponds to the previously measured value for random close-packing. In fact,
our results provide a well-defined meaning for "random close-packing" in terms
of the fraction of all phase space with inherent structures that jam. The
jamming threshold, Point J, occurring at zero temperature and applied stress
and at the random close-packing density, has properties reminiscent of an
ordinary critical point. As Point J is approached from higher packing
fractions, power-law scaling is found for many quantities. Moreover, near Point
J, certain quantities no longer self-average, suggesting the existence of a
length scale that diverges at J. However, Point J also differs from an ordinary
critical point: the scaling exponents do not depend on dimension but do depend
on the interparticle potential. Finally, as Point J is approached from high
packing fractions, the density of vibrational states develops a large excess of
low-frequency modes. All of these results suggest that Point J may control
behavior in its vicinity-perhaps even at the glass transition.Comment: 21 pages, 20 figure
Upper critical field for underdoped high-T_c superconductors. Pseudogap and stripe--phase
We investigate the upper critical field in a stripe--phase and in the
presence of a phenomenological pseudogap. Our results indicate that the
formation of stripes affects the Landau orbits and results in an enhancement of
. On the other hand, phenomenologically introduced pseudogap leads to a
reduction of the upper critical field. This effect is of particular importance
when the magnitude of the gap is of the order of the superconducting transition
temperature. We have found that a suppression of the upper critical field takes
place also for the gap that originates from the charge--density waves.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Linking regional stakeholder scenarios and shared socioeconomic pathways: Quantified West African food and climate futures in a global context
The climate change research community’s shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) are a set of alternative global development scenarios focused on mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. To use these scenarios as a global context that is relevant for policy guidance at regional and national levels, they have to be connected to an exploration of drivers and challenges informed by regional expertise.
In this paper, we present scenarios for West Africa developed by regional stakeholders and quantified using two global economic models, GLOBIOM and IMPACT, in interaction with stakeholder-generated narratives and scenario trends and SSP assumptions. We present this process as an example of linking comparable scenarios across levels to increase coherence with global contexts, while presenting insights about the future of agriculture and food security under a range of future drivers including climate change.
In these scenarios, strong economic development increases food security and agricultural development. The latter increases crop and livestock productivity leading to an expansion of agricultural area within the region while reducing the land expansion burden elsewhere. In the context of a global economy, West Africa remains a large consumer and producer of a selection of commodities. However, the growth in population coupled with rising incomes leads to increases in the region’s imports. For West Africa, climate change is projected to have negative effects on both crop yields and grassland productivity, and a lack of investment may exacerbate these effects. Linking multi-stakeholder regional scenarios to the global SSPs ensures scenarios that are regionally appropriate and useful for policy development as evidenced in the case study, while allowing for a critical link to global contexts
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